Published 17:37 IST, February 3rd 2021
The Weeknd hyped up as Super Bowl 2021 half-time show gig draws closer
The Weeknd is hyped up for his performance at the Super Bowl 2021 half-time show and shared a Pepsi commercial teasing his fans and the NFL supporters.
The Super Bowl 2021 half time show will be headlined by The Weeknd and the Canadian singer-songwriter is hyped up with just days left for the showpiece event. The 30-year-old is leaving no stone unturned as he prepares for the gig, and his set will be performed entirely live at the Raymond James Stadium, despite fears that pre-recording may have been necessary amidst the stringent COVID-19 protocols. The Weeknd teased the NFL fans by posting Pepsi's half-time commercial, which released on Tuesday.
The Weeknd Super Bowl 2021: superstar hypes up fans before half-time gig
The Weeknd had a string of face-altering appearances leading up to his Super Bowl 2021 performance. The 30-year-old, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, appears fully intact in the latest Perspi commercial ahead of the Super Bowl showdown. The Weeknd can be seen taking a reflective walk through the tunnel of a football stadium. The commercial sees a montage of his past music videos playing on the wall as a reflective voiceover narrates the journey leading up to the Super Bowl field, where a cheering stadium awaits him.
However, in reality, the Raymond James Stadium is expected to only be filled to about a third of its usual capacity due to social-distancing precautions with only 22,000 fans allowed for the game. Pepsi revealed that the voiceover is provided by lifelong friend and creative director La Mar Taylor. "What we create changes us. Every performance, a new chapter; every stage, a new beginning,” says Taylor in the commercial. Pepsi decided not to run any other commercials during this year’s game and threw all their cash at the half-time show.
According to The Billboard, The Weeknd himself put in $7 million of his own money to make the half-time show as he envisioned. The 30-year-old said he’s hoping to make his show a more “cinematic experience" with more fans watching the game from home amidst the pandemic. Last year the halftime show, headlined by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, garnered about 102 million viewers. The Weeknd's commercial is among the early appearances leading up to the Super Bowl. On Monday, Frito-Lay released a light-hearted commercial with real-life husband and wife duo Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.
(Image Courtesy: The Weeknd Twitter)
Updated 17:37 IST, February 3rd 2021